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Politicians sound off on Snowden

Asked what advice he had for future leakers, he said, “This country is worth dying for.”

Snowden also believes it is worth fleeing from. And not just with a toothbrush and a change of undies but with four laptops and at least one thumb drive packed with U.S. intelligence secrets.

Snowden, who just turned 30, dropped out of high school, college and the military, but nonetheless became an American success story. He achieved a six-figure salary and a cushy job in Hawaii with the one industry that seems to require no real qualifications or serious background checks: the United States intelligence community.

About a third of U.S. intelligence workers are employed by private companies, whose guiding force appears to be maximizing profit rather than protecting the nation. Surprise.

Snowden was given a top secret security clearance, even though he had scant qualifications. He revealed a bunch of secrets and then flew the coop to Hong Kong.

Over the weekend, Snowden flew the coop again, this time to Russia.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “In part, Mr. Snowden’s determination to leave Hong Kong was based on the fear of losing access to the Internet.”

Giving up your country, your friends and family was one thing, but giving up the Internet? C’mon, let’s not get crazy.

Snowden is now learning that the life of the supersnoop is not quite as cushy a life as he had in Hawaii. First of all, he has become a hot potato.

According to The New York Times: “Two Western intelligence experts, who worked for major government spy agencies, said they believed that the Chinese government had managed to drain the contents of the four laptops that Mr. Snowden said he brought to Hong Kong. … If that were the case, they said, China would no longer need or want to have Mr. Snowden remain in Hong Kong.”